


The Nighwatchers

by Traw



Category: Hawaii Five-O (1968)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Kono in protective mode, Supernatural- nightwalkers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27071158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Traw/pseuds/Traw
Summary: "You know what tonight is, don't ya, Bruddah?" Kono whispered, looking around at the trees that surrounded them, as he followed the younger detective down the deserted dark road.
Kudos: 3





	The Nighwatchers

"You know what tonight is, don't ya, Bruddah?" Kono whispered, looking around at the trees that surrounded them, as he followed the younger detective down the deserted dark road.

"The night our car battery decided to die on us?" Danny sighed, slowing down just a little to allow his spooked Hawaiian friend to catch up with him, "Or the night McGarrett is going to have our heads for letting Kopoloa escape because we couldn't trail him?"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean dat," Kono nodded slowly, remembering the reason why they were now in their current predicament, as he caught up with Danny before he looked around again, nervously, before returning his attention back to Five-O's Second-In-Command, "I meant do you know what night tonight is?" Danny frowned and shrugged, uncertain of just what night Kono was referring to as Kono jumped as he heard the faint sound of what sounded eerily like marching feet and quickly looked around at the trees surrounding them again as he continued, "It's da third day of da lunar month, Bruddah…"

"Ahh," Danny murmured, suddenly understanding his friend's strange anxiety, "Tonight's the first night of the lunar month when the-"

"Ku and da huaka'i pō march." Kono swallowed hard.

"Kono-" Danny began softly, only to fall silent mid-sentence, his heart racing, as he thought he heard the sound of beating war drums coming towards them from somewhere within the trees lining the road. Slowly turning towards the trees, he caught a quick glimpse of shadows and what appeared to be the flickering lights of burning torches between the trees as the beating war drums and the distinct sound of chanting grew louder, his nose wrinkling as he caught a musky whiff of what he could only describe as death. He jumped in surprise as he heard the loud sound of a conch shell being blown just a mere heartbeat before Kono pushed him roughly down onto the ground. He felt his breath rush from his lungs in a loud whoosh as Kono quickly covered him with his own body. He heard Kono whisper close to his ear, "It's Ku and da huaka'i pō, Bruddah, don't look!' as the scared Hawaiian placed his hand across Danny's eyes, temporarily blinding him from seeing the ghostly sight of Ku and the Nightmarchers as they emerged from the rainforest only feet in front of them.

Danny heard the sound of marching feet and chants grow closer and closer. He felt Kono shift above him before he heard the Marchers suddenly stop just feet in front of where they were lying on the road. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for something to happen… fearful that Kono had accidentally looked up at the Nightwatchers.

Born and growing up in Hawaii, he knew all the stories and superstitions about Ku and the Nightmarchers. Stories and superstitions that as a child of the land, he was unable to deny that deep down he believed in. One of the superstitions was when you crossed the path of the Nightmarchers, that you should try hard to get out of their path immediately, if unable to do so, then you should lie down prone on the ground and no matter what, you should never, NEVER look at them - to do so was to block their path, and the punishment was certain death.

He heard Kono gasp in fear and stiffen above him as an eerie silence descended over them. The silence was deafening and holding what little breath he still had left in his lungs; he waited for something to happen.

He jumped as he heard a deep voice boom, "Na'u!"*, breaking the tense silence and he felt Kono collapse back down against his back as the sound of the beating war drums and marching feet began again and slowly began to move away.

He wasn't sure just how much long it had taken him to realize over the beating of his racing heart that the sound of chants and marching feet had faded away and Kono had removed his hand from across his eyes and had sat up. Slowly sitting up himself, Danny stared in the direction that he thought the Nighmarchers had gone before he turned, white faced, and looked at his equally shaken companion, "What just happened?" he managed to whisper.

Kono swallowed hard as he stared after the ghostly procession as he admitted softly, his voice shaking, "I…I accidentally looked up at them, Bruddah." Danny blinked as he slowly turned and looked back into the dark forest that surrounded them, not quite able to believe what had just happened as Kono continued, "I knew I shouldn't have, Danny, but I couldn't help myself."

Danny swallowed hard and nodded, aware that if Kono had not held him down and covered his eyes, he would have been tempted to do the same thing. "Then why aren't you dead?' he asked softly, aware of how silly the question would have sounded to McGarrett for believing the Hawaiian superstition or for even admitting to what had just happened to them.

Looking back at the younger man, Kono could only shake his head in a combination of fear and pride as he slowly climbed to his feet and reached down to grab the hand Danny lifted up to pull his friend up onto his. "My ancestor was marching with them, Danny, he musta recognized me because he just saved my life!"

"I'm glad he did, Bruddah, " Danny smiled as he lightly slapped his friend on the back before he added, "I just hope that he will do the same thing when we report back to McGarrett about what happened tonight and how we managed to lose Kopoloa."

Kono shook his head as they began to walk down the dark road again, "I think it will take a whole lot more ancestors den just him to protect us from McGarrett's explosion, Bruddah, a whole lot more!"

Pau

*"na'u!" -Mine (It is believed by Hawaiians that if an ancestor is marching with the Nightmarchers and you look up at the marchers as they pass and block their path, you can escape and your safety is ensured if your ancestor calls out "na'u!". Reference - Po Kane. Haunted Hawaiian Nights, by Lopaka Kapanui.)


End file.
